Sports

Column: Garcia will pay dearly for Tiger remarks

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:12:28 GMT

(Eds: With AP Photos.)AP Sports ColumnistSergio Garcia could have stopped after he whined about fans of Tiger Woods making too much noise on the golf course. He should have stopped after saying Woods is not a nice person who has been lying to the media since the first time he stepped into an interview room.That he didn't close his mouth may end up to be Garcia's biggest regret in a career already ...

Woods: Garcia comment hurtful, time to move on

DOUG FERGUSON — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:12:27 GMT

Sergio Garcia apologized to Tiger Woods for saying he would serve fried chicken if they were to have dinner at the U.S. Open, an ugly addition to nearly two weeks of verbal sparring.What had been a celebration of European golf at an awards dinner south of London shifted suddenly to a racially sensitive moment involving Woods, the No. 1 golfer in the world and the only player of African-American he...

Woods: Garcia comment hurtful, time to move on

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:44:01 GMT

VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) - Tiger Woods says the "fried chicken" comment from Sergio Garcia was hurtful and inappropriate. Two weeks after they verbally sparred at The Players Championship, Woods say it's time to move on.Garcia was at a European Tour awards dinner Tuesday night when he was jokingly asked if he would have Woods over for dinner during the U.S. Open. The Spaniard replied, "We'll h...

Garcia's fried chicken jibe 'hurtful' - Woods

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:19:57 GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - The feud between world number one Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia deepened when Woods described the Spaniard's "fried chicken" jibe as "wrong, hurtful and inappropriate" on Wednesday.Woods reacted on his Twitter account after Garcia issued an apology to a comment he made at Tuesday's European Tour awards dinner when he was asked on stage whether he would be inviting Woods for dinn...

Spurs 93, Grizzlies 89, OT

JEFF LATZKE — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:22:25 GMT

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - When Tony Parker started running low on masterful plays, Tim Duncan was there to take over and lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.Parker had 15 points and a career playoff-high 18 assists, Duncan scored San Antonio's first six points of overtime and the Spurs bounced back after squandering a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter to beat the M...

Garcia apologizes for "fried chicken" remark

The Associated Press — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:16:51 GMT

Sergio Garcia apologized for saying he would "serve fried chicken" while making a joke about having Tiger Woods over for dinner.The British newspaper The Guardian reported Garcia was asked in jest while on stage at the European Tour's awards dinner Tuesday night if he would invite Woods to dinner during the U.S. Open.The Guardian reported Garcia said: "We will have him round every night. We will s...

Andy Murray out of French Open due to back injury

Wed, 22 May 2013 01:58:59 GMT

LONDON (AP) - Andy Murray withdrew from the French Open on Tuesday because of a chronic back injury and will now focus on preparing for the start of the grass-court season next month.The U.S. Open champion met with specialists this week after being forced to pull out of his second-match against Marcel Granollers of Spain at the Italian Open last Wednesday because of the long-standing complaint."It...

San Francisco and Houston awarded 2016 and 2017 Super Bowls

Tue, 21 May 2013 19:34:12 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - San Francisco will host the 50th Super Bowl, in early 2016, the National Football League announced on Tuesday.The NFL also awarded the 51st Super Bowl to Houston after team owners voted for the two cities ahead of a South Florida bid.(Reporting by Julian Linden, editing by Gene Cherry)

Sports world keeps eye on Oklahoma tornado

The Associated Press — Tue, 21 May 2013 07:36:58 GMT

The massive tornado that ripped through a handful of Oklahoma City suburbs and killed at least 50 people grabbed the attention of the sports world on Monday, especially the players and coaches with ties to the area.Kevin Durant, a three-time scoring champion for the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, posted on his Twitter account that he was praying for everyone involved. He added: "Everybody stay safe!...

Sports world keeps eye on Oklahoma tornado

The Associated Press — Tue, 21 May 2013 07:02:47 GMT

The massive tornado that ripped through a handful of Oklahoma City suburbs grabbed the attention of the sports world on Monday, especially for the players and coaches with ties to the area.Kevin Durant, a three-time scoring champion for the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, posted on his Twitter account that he was praying for everyone involved. He added: "Everybody stay safe!"Coverage of the tornado d...

Albert Pujols doesn't matter anymore

Joe Posnanski — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:57:51 GMT

The thing that’s strange – the thing that’s sad – is how little excitement there is now when he comes to the plate. Let’s go to a moment in Sunday’s Angels-White Sox game. The count is 3-0, and Albert Pujols has the green light. There should be an electrical charge buzzing the air. Only … really … there isn’t a buzz. There isn’t a charge. There isn’t anything at all. The thrill-o-meter is at zero....

Lukas in rarefied air after Preakness win

JIM LITKE — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:01:14 GMT

The old guy still gets up crack-of-dawn early.Not because D. Wayne Lukas has something left to prove, or anything more to gain. He already has it all: Fame, fortune, a bronze plaque in the Hall of Fame and - after lightly regarded Oxbow stunned Orb on Saturday at the Preakness - he has the top spot in the Triple Crown trainer's record book, too, passing "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons with No. 14."It's be...

Blue Jays-Yankees finale scrubbed by rain

RICK FREEMAN — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:01:13 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) - Against the Toronto Blue Jays this season, the only thing that has stopped the Yankees was a day full of rain.The Yankees would have been trying to make it seven in a row against the Blue Jays on Sunday, but rain began to fall in the late morning with no signs of letting up, and the game was postponed before it started. No makeup date was announced."It's going to rain until probabl...

Bae wins Byron Nelson for first PGA Tour title

STEPHEN HAWKINS — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:01:13 GMT

IRVING, Texas (AP) - Sang-Moon Bae watched anxiously after hitting his tee shot at the par-3 17th hole Sunday in the Byron Nelson Championship.When the ball landed on the front edge of the green fronted by water, he bent his knees and leaned backward obviously relieved. He was only a few shots away from his first PGA Tour victory and a congratulatory hug from the widow of the tournament's namesake...

Nadal and Williams win easily in Rome

Eric Salliot — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:01:12 GMT

ROME (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal made short work of his great rival Roger Federer to win the Italian Open, his sixth trophy of the year, 6-1 6-3 on Sunday.The crowd sitting in the sunshine at Rome's Foro Italico watched Nadal race to victory in 69 minutes on the red clay.The Spaniard, back in his best form after last year's long injury layoff, spent less time on court than Serena Williams who won her f...

Oxbow upsets Orb in Preakness

Sun, 19 May 2013 03:57:26 GMT

Right from the start, a horse trained by one not so over-the-hill Hall of Famer and ridden by another took control of the Preakness. The result: a huge upset and the end of any hopes for a Triple Crown attempt at the Belmont Stakes. Thanks to Oxbow's wire-to-wire win Saturday over Kentucky Derby winner Orb, trainer D. Wayne Lukas and jockey Gary Stevens have themselves another classic to add to th...

Bradley keeps lead after 3 rounds at Nelson

STEPHEN HAWKINS — Sun, 19 May 2013 01:56:42 GMT

IRVING, Texas (AP) - Keegan Bradley still hasn't gotten things right on the 18th hole at the Byron Nelson Championship, even when finally going left.The bogeys on the closing hole at TPC Four Seasons haven't cost him the lead yet.Bradley overcame consecutive bogeys early and bogeyed No. 18 for the third round in a row Saturday to finish with a 2-under 68 that kept him in the lead."(Sunday) is the ...

Ryder Cup players into last 8 at World Match Play

Sat, 18 May 2013 13:18:28 GMT

KAVARNA, Bulgaria (AP) - Ryder Cup-winning teammates Graeme McDowell, Nicolas Colsaerts and Francesco Molinari are through to the quarterfinals of the World Match Play Championship.McDowell beat Bo Van Pelt 2 and 1 on the Thracian Cliffs course Saturday and will meet Colsaerts in a rematch from last year's final. The defending champion won 2 up against Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano after being ahead b...

What to watch for at the Preakness

RICHARD ROSENBLATT — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:39:57 GMT

All eyes will be on Kentucky Derby winner Orb in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. The 3-year-old colt will take on eight challengers in the second leg of the Triple Crown. If he wins, Orb will attempt to become the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978 at the Belmont Stakes on June 8. In the Preakness, Orb will be facing five horses he defeated in the Derby and three who did not run ...

Orb favored to take Preakness, set up Triple try

RICHARD ROSENBLATT — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:39:56 GMT

Everything's a go for Orb.The Kentucky Derby winner was in a playful mood the day before the Preakness, making faces for photographers between nibbles of grass outside his stall at Pimlico Race Course."He's really settled in well. He seems to be energetic about what he's doing so I couldn't be more pleased," trainer Shug McGaughey said on a warm and sunny Friday morning. "We're excited about givin...

Bradley has 3-stroke lead after 2 rounds at Nelson

STEPHEN HAWKINS — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:34:26 GMT

IRVING, Texas (AP) - Keegan Bradley shot a 1-under 69 on Friday in a round that started and ended with bogeys, good enough for a three-stroke lead after two rounds in the Byron Nelson Championship.A day after setting the TPC Four Seasons course record with a 60, also with two bogeys, Bradley went into the weekend at 11-under 129. That is the lowest 36-hole total at the Nelson since 2001.Tom Gillis...

Venturi, US Open champion and CBS analyst, dies

DOUG FERGUSON — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:34:25 GMT

Former U.S. Open champion Ken Venturi has died just 12 days after he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. He was 82.His son, Matt Venturi, says he died Friday afternoon in a hospital in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Venturi had been hospitalized the last two months for a spinal infection, pneumonia and an intestinal infection.Venturi was all about overcoming the odds. He won the 1964 U.S. Open a...

Among best announcers, Emrick still rises above

BY JOE POSNANSKI — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:32:17 GMT

The voice of hockey grew up in a town called LaFontaine. That sounds perfect, doesn’t it? LaFontaine! Could a city name sound more like hockey? LaFontaine! It isn’t just the name of a Hall of Famer, the great Pat LaFontaine, it is French, with just the right number of syllables, ideal for the sport. LaFontaine! Say it loud and you can almost hear the puck clank off the pipe, almost see the mad rus...

Spurs hold off Warriors, advance to West finals

ANTONIO GONZALEZ — Fri, 17 May 2013 06:01:58 GMT

Slow at the start of the series and strong at the end, the San Antonio Spurs wore out the Golden State Warriors the way they have so many other opponents.Tim Duncan had 19 points and six rebounds, Kawhi Leonard added 16 points and 10 rebounds and the Spurs held off a furious final rally to beat the Warriors 94-82 in Game 6 on Thursday night and advance to the Western Conference finals."They've got...

Bradley sets record pace with 60 at the Nelson

Fri, 17 May 2013 01:43:03 GMT

(Reuters) - Former champion Keegan Bradley shrugged off two bogeys around the turn to set a course record with a blistering 10-under-par 60 in Thursday's opening round of the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas.Taking advantage of preferred lies on a rain-softened layout at the TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas, the 26-year-old American piled up 10 birdies and an eagle at the par-five sev...